What a pleasant surprise. This is the crazy story of the brains behind the Beach Boys – Brian Wilson. And it’s Brian’s brain at the center of the story. It’s hard to tell the story of a genius slipping into madness without overdoing it. This movie takes an inventive approach – alternating between different parts of Brian Wilson’s life, using two different actors to portray him. Both actors do a great job, but Paul Dano especially nails the subtle special weirdness. If you want to see a story of genius, madness, despair and redemption… check it out.

And a bonus: you might just find a new appreciation for the Beach Boys music.